The present invention relates to the art of waste disposal and, more particularly, to the field of wet pulping equipment for use in waste disposal.
The application of wet pulping equipment for waste disposal is finding increasing acceptance. In equipment of this type, waste materials are introduced into an impeller-created vortex of water, reduced to a pulp, passed on to a water extraction device where the excessive water is separated and returned to the pulper for reuse. Such waste pulping machines are often provided with one or more blades mounted to the impeller to provide a shearing action as the impeller is rotated. The blades serve to enable the pulping equipment to handle a quantity of non-pulpable material, such as plastic, which generally constitutes a minor portion of the waste to be disposed.
One problem encountered with such equipment is that the shearing blades become dull or damaged through normal use. Heretofore replacement of the blades required considerable effort since the blades were permanently bonded in position.
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved waste pulping machine provided with shearing blades which may readily be replaced in time as the blades become worn or damaged.
Another problem encountered with such equipment is that silverware and other utensils would become wedged between the rotating impeller blades and the stationary shear blades and the subsequent pressure would cause the top security ring to bulge and deform.
Therefore, another principal objective of the present invention is to provide an improved waste pulping machine provided with beveled stationary shearing blades so as to eliminate the jamming of the impeller and the resulting deformation of the top security ring.